Combined form support and spacer



Oct. 11, 1932. w. J. FERRY COMBINED FORM SUPPORT AND SPACER Filed Aug. 10, 1931 INVENTOR M'zkzm J fkrry ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 11, 1932 WILLIAM J. FERRY, or ALLEN'rowN; PENNSYLRTANIA, ASSIGNOR To cEM GuN CONTRACTING COMPANY, A COMPANY OF DELAWARE COMBINED rem! surronr A sriicnn Application filcdllugugitiIO, 1931., seriaiNas sa a'zs.

This invention relates more particularly to a combined form support and spacer for 'use in incasing girders or; the like with cementitious material such as gunite.

-In forming a covering of gunite or the like, use is made of a shooting device, such as a cement gun. A mixture of cementand sand in proper proportions is blown from the device through a nozzle where water is supplied in suflicientquantity and in'sucha manner as to thoroughly hydrate'the cementitious material ormi xture with substantially n excess of water. From theno'zzle, the material is driven in a stream and" at high velocity against the surface of the metal girder or other member to be covered: Under these conditions the material is pneumatically tamped to form a dense mass constituting the material above referred to as gunite. This material adheres strongly to the -metal member. r p v A'covering of this sort is much more dense, hard and durable than one made of poured concrete or cement mortar as ordinarily applied, and can be applied without the use of the heavy and expensive forms necessary for poured concrete which forms must be built at considerable trouble, maintained until the concrete has been poured and giventime to set, and then taken apart and removed. It is, however, desirable in: applying gunite and the like to members, such as girders or I-beams, to utilize shooting strips or simple forms to assist in shaping the-gunite especially around the flanges. If done within a few minutes after the application of gunite, the surface thereof may be put into better shape, as, for example, by use of a screed. However, by the use of such shooting strips or forms, the area to be screeded is reduced and other advantageous results are attained.

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel form supporting and spacing devices to suspendv such shooting strips or formsffrom the lower fiangesof members such as girders or I-beams and determine their positions with reference to the edges of the flanges so as to provide for the desired thickness of covering material at saidedges.

Another object of the invention is to provide a form support and spacerwhich is si mple in structure,:econom1 cal to manufacture, and efiicient in use.

According to one form of carrying out the invention each form support'is -made of a single rod or piece of heavy and stiff wire and has a straight supporting portion designed to hang vertically when the deviceis in use, a flange engaging portion substantially per-.

pendicular to saidsupporting portion and adapted'to cooperatejwith the upper side of the flange, and a portion extending back along the flange engaging portionand beyond the supporting portion to an extent correspondingto the thickness ofthe material at, the

edge of theflange. The lower end'of the'supporting portion is intended to cooperate with a fasteningdevice, such as a nut, and, for this purpose is screw-threaded;

Other objects andadvantages will appear upon consideration of the'followingdescription and of the drawing in which:

Fig; 1 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating one embodiment of the invention in use and'showing'theportions of the covering at the lower flange of the- I member as shaped by the useof a form; and

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the form removed, the downwardly projecting portions of the 'rodscut oil and the gap at the lower side of the lower flange filled with material after the removal of the shooting strips or forms. Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a support in the form of an I-beam ofwhich only the lower partis shown. At each side of the centralweb and at its lower edge are flanges ll'extending in opposite directions.

The form or shooting strip for theedge of each flange 11'is made ofa horizontally positioned member or board 12 and a member 1 or board 13 arranged vertically with its lower edge extending'along the corresponding board and preferably at the outer edge there- 'of. Both of the boards 12 and 13 are sup- V in accordance with the width of the flanges at gunite sjuch as metal mesh or fabric (not the lower edge of'the beam and the thickness ofthe gunite to be applied at the edges of,

the flanges. V 7

According to the preferred embodiment of the form support andspacer, each device 16 ofithis kind is made of a single piece of rod or stifl' wire having a straight tension or supporting portions 17 screw-threaded portion 17 at its upper end, and aspacer'por- .Preferably, theportion 19 of this device has a bent-ofi? end orhead 20 to engage a board l3.

Preferably the I-beain 10 1s prepared for the application of gunite thereto by attaching tothe beam means for reinforcing the shown)." a I I Iniorder to usethe devices '16 to support the shooting strips, holes to accommodate the tension portions of these devices are provided in each cross-piece and are spaced aslightlyfarther apart than the outeredges of the lower flanges. .In attachingthe shooting strips to the beam 10, the form structure maybe placed invposition and then secured tothe beam by placing thedevices .16 in' position with their portions 17 projecting downlike. having a laterally extending flange and .a shooting strip having 'a partvbelow said wardly through the boards 12 and cross pieces 14, and applying wing'nuts 21 to the threaded .lower ends of portion 17 Obviously the devices 16 may be placed in the cross pieces ll before' the for'mstructure is placed in positionf Then by turningeach device from itsv normal position, and-by raising the form the upper ends of the desvices 16 would. pass on opposite sides of the flanges'll. Then the devices could be turned to their normal. positions and thewing nuts -..21 adjustedas desired. 1 It will beevident that the form or shooting strip assemblage is supported by the WiIlgxIllltSQl and the tension portions 17 .of the devices 16, and is held against transverse movement with respect to the beam 10 by engagement of-the ends 20 of the spacer portions 19 with the members orboards 13.

- Although, as previously described, the boards 13 and uprights 15 may be attached to'the cross pieces 14: before the form assemblage is attached to the beam, they may.

be applied after the rest of the form assem- I blagehas been suspended from the flanges '11.

1 "After the form assemblage has been at- --tached to the beam, the covering material is blown; into; place forming a deposit of gunite 22 as indicated in Fig. 1; It will be noted that a-gap is left beneath the beam and between the boards or strips 12. This gap 15 of service to avoid sand pockets andto get .gunite of the proper quality. After the at its free end,- a flange engaging 'po'rtioni18' substantially perpendicular to the tension edge of the shooting strip assemblage is removed, the gap is filled with an additional deposit 23 of gunite. The tension portions 17 of the f devices 16are out off at the lower surface of I i I the gunite. deposit 22, as indicated in Fig. 2. Preferably the boards or strip's 12 below I the; level of the flanges 11' extend inwardly beneath the flanges and the gunite deposit 22 is formed with faces sloping downwardly andyinwardly from theedges of the flanges llto the inner edges of-"the'strips .12. 'The gap thus provided between these surfaces is in the forni-ofadovetail mortise or groove and assists in. holding in' place the later gunite deposit 23.

- .;It willbe evident that thepresent 'inven- 7 tion provides very advantageous means for supporting and positioning. shooting strips adjacent tothe flanges at: the lower; edge of a member, such as a girder or I-bea m, andthat when the covering for the lower part of such member is applied in'the general manner described such covering is of good quality. i

It should be understood that=the disclosed embodiment ofthe-invention ismerely illus- .trative thereof and that various changes may be made and certain :features used -v'vith others without departing from the true spirit and scopeof the invention. v

' Having thus described my invention, I

claim:-@,. M i The combination with a'beam or the flange-and a partopposite the edgeof the flange to determine the thickness of a covering of-gunitel or the like at the edge of the flange, of a one-piece device of wire or the like having a' vertical portion with provisions at'its lower end for attachment to the shooting strip tosupport'the same, a laterally offset portion adapted to extend over and engage :theupper surface of the flange, and

straight portion provided with a screwthread at one end, a portion bent ofi from I said straightportionand substantially perpendicular'thereto, and a portion bent back from the second mentioned portion and extending beyond said straightxportion, the third mentioned portion having its free end bent'to one sideto provide a head.

3. The combination with a'beam'or the like having oppositely extending flanges at the lower edge thereof and a shooting strip assembly for use in 'in'casing said flanges with gunite or the like and including at each edge a bottom-forming member and an edge- 'mto engagement with the edge determining member.

4. The combination with a beam or the like having flanges extending in opposite directions from the lower edge thereof and a shooting-strip assembly including a bottomforming member and an edge-forming member at each side and transverse conductors between the bottom-forming members and edge-determining members at opposite sides; of a plurality of unitary combined supporting and spacing devices at opposite sides of the beam, each of said devices including an inwardly extending flange-engaging part overlying the flange at the corresponding side of the beam, a part extending downwardly from the flange and connected with one of said transverse connectors to support the same and to hold the flange-engaging part over the flange, and a part extending outwardly from the flange-engaging part and engaging the corresponding edge-determining member.

In witness whereof, I affix my signature. WILLIAM J. FERRY. 

